Men of Harlech is a song and military march which describes events during the seven year long siege of Harlech Castle between 1461 and 1468. Commanded by Constable Dafydd ap Ieuan, the garrison held out in what is the longest known siege in the history of the British Isles.The music was first published without words in 1794 as Gorhoffedd Gwŷr Harlech (March of the Men of Harlech) in the second edition of The Musical and Poetical Relicks of the Welsh Bards, but it is said to be a much earlier folk air.Men of Harlech occupies an important place in Welsh national culture and gained international recognition when it was featured prominently in the 1964 film Zulu.This new arrangement comes from the pen of Welshman Gareth Wood. It cleverly fuses the tune to more exotic rhythms associated with Latin America and the Caribbean.

Bugeilio'r Gwenith Gwyn is an 18th century Welsh love song known to many by its English title of 'Watching the Wheat'. Although the song describes a tragic love affair, the music remains extremely popular with musicians throughout Wales.This skilful new setting for euphonium and brass band by Welshman Gareth Wood was commissioned by Robert and Lorraine Childs and given to their son David as a 26th birthday present.Bugeilio'r Gwenith Gwyn can be heard on the CD Celtic Charm (DOYCD214) on which the performers are David Childs and the Cory Band.

The origins of this work date back to 1988, when I was commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company to write the music for The Plantagenets trilogy, directed by Adrian Noble in Stratford-upon-Avon. These plays take us from the death of Henry V to the death of Richard III. Later, in 1991, I wrote the music for Henry IV parts 1 and 2, again in Stratford. All of these plays are concerned with the struggle for the throne, and they portray one of the most turbulent periods in the history of the British monarchy.Much of the music used in these productions was adapted into two large symphonic suites for wind band – The Sword and the Crown (1991) and The Kings Go Forth (1996). An Age of Kings is a new version for brass band incorporating music from both the symphonic suites for wind band. It was specially composed for a recording made by the Black Dyke Band, conducted by Nicholas Childs, in 2004.An Age of Kings is music on a large-scale canvas, scored for augmented brass band, with the addition of harp, piano, mezzo-soprano solo, male chorus, as well as two off-stage trumpets. The music is also organized on a large-scale structure, in three movements, which play without a break – “Church and State”, “At the Welsh Court”, and “Battle Music and Hymn of Thanksgiving”.The first movement, “Church and State”, opens with a brief fanfare for two antiphonal trumpets (off-stage), but this only acts as a preface to a Requiem aeternam (the death of Henry V) before changing mood to the English army on the march to France; this subsides into a French victory march, but with the English army music returning in counterpoint. A brief reminder of the Requiem music leads to the triumphal music for Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York, father of Edward IV and Richard III (the opening fanfare transformed). However, the mood changes dramatically once again, with the horrors of war being portrayed in the darkly-drawn Dies Irae and Dance of Death, leading to the final section of the first movement, a funeral march for Henry VI.The second movement, “At the Welsh Court”, takes music from the Welsh Court in Henry IV part 1 with a simple Welsh folk tune sung by mezzo-soprano to the inevitable accompaniment of a harp. This love song is interrupted by distant fanfares, forewarning of battles to come. However, the folk song returns with variation in the musical fabric. The movement ends as it began with off-stage horn and gentle percussion.The final movement, “Battle Music and Hymn of Thanksgiving“, starts with two sets of antiphonally placed timpani, drums and tam-tam, portraying the ‘war machine’ and savagery of battle. Trumpet fanfares and horn calls herald an heroic battle theme which, by the end of the movement, transforms itself into a triumphant hymn for Henry IV’s defeat of the rebellious forces.- Edward GregsonDuration - 22'00"Optional TTBB available separately.

This is an ancient Welsh air that was first published in Relics of the Welsh Bards in 1794. Dafydd (David) Owain was a famous Welsh bard who lived on a farm called Gareg Wen (The White Rock) in Eifionydd, Carnarnvonshire, North Wales. Tradition has it that on his deathbed he called for his harp and composed this lovely melody, requesting that it be played at his funeral. Accordingly, it was later played at the parish church of Ynys-Cynhaiarn. Lyrics were later added by Ceiriog Hughes, which describe the melody's inspiration. This version for brass band retains all the beauty and simplicity of the original.